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PremierBromanov · 08-11-2022, 02:30 PM

In this Deep Dive, I'm exploring how the Vancouver Whalers went from First to Last to 4th

The early 60s brought with them success for the Vancouver Whalers. They finished second place in S60, and first place in S61 and S62. Following this was a period of drought, with the team at the bottom of the standings. Now, the Whalers appear to be on another hot streak near the top. How did they become so successful? And what caused them to fail? And, what brought them back?

This story starts in the S58 SMJHL entry draft. The whalers by all accounts had little to work with. They had the 9th overall pick, a 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th round pick. Not necessarily an impressive array of picks to build a cup winning team. But, out of that draft they had the beginnings of a strong team. 9th overall went to Alexis-Saint Michel, who would later go on to score 91 points in the regular season. 30th overall, they selected Sven Svechnikov, the current TPE leader for the class of S59. 45th they selected Robot Sunfish, a middle 6 winger with great upside, 52nd they selected Strawberry Sailfish, another solid winger, and 64th they selected Kman George, who never played.

Midway through the season, player Macrus Jager joined the league and signed on as a free agent. he would put up 3 points in 30 games, before leading the league in points 2 seasons later.

Once those pieces finally hit their peak in S60, the Whalers began their time as league leaders. They didn't quite see playoff success, as Newfoundland took them out in 6 games. A season later, it was a sweep in the finals against newfoundland that gave the whalers another cup. That season saw Macrus take a back seat to Lev Lebedev, who signed on after the draft.

All good things must come to an end, and so they did. Season 62 saw the departure of ASM, Tater, and Svechnikov, although Sunfish and Sailfish stayed on. Still, the whalers managed to lead the league in the regular season before falling to the Armada in the 3rd round. The real end was Season 63, when a second wave of graduations saw the whalers with little more than a skeleton crew. The draft wasn't much better.

in the S63 entry draft, the whalers had #12, #28, and #56. At 12, they selected Backup Goaltender (myself), a user with a strong history of activity. Unfortunately, i had to depart the league after capping at 350, which isn't necessarily a good pick at number 12. At 28 they selected Wesley Sorensen, a winger who only played 2 seasons. Finally, at 56 they picked Archer Hayden who only played one season.

That kind of draft can cripple a team and so it did. It's not entirely the fault of the drafting, as having few picks to work with always leaves the team empty. if you miss your chances, you're done. This lead to a 3 season drought, but undoubtedly good options in the draft.

But still, Season 65 still resulted in last place. There were good pieces, but still too many inactives to make a dent in the league.

Finally, in Season 66, the whalers seem to have put it all together, beginning with a strong draft.

The whalers picked up the following players

#3 Meta Knight - C - 45 pts
#15 Antonio Flusso - RD - 30 pts
#29 Eliz Troia - LD - 20 pts (30 gp)
#43 Gaston LeGume - LW - 33 pts
#46 Nichael Fitted - RW - 26 pts
#49 Gray Rosey - G - 3-3-1
#56 Hans Mulluer - LD - 14 pts (28 gp)

Additionally, the whalers made 3 free agent signings during the season.

Bojack Calhoun - LD - 9 pts 30 gp
koda judicia - LD - IFA
and finally Deemed Inappropriate, dropping Mulluer and Troia. (0 gp so far)

With a strong team already in place, the whalers added much needed depth to the roster and a Sim engine change didnt hurt either. Only time will tell if this is a solid roster moving forward or a fluke in a desert of failure. I pick the former.

Opera_Phantom · 08-12-2022, 05:18 AM

@PremierBromanov APPROVED! +5 TPE

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